Compass Pose (Parivrtta Surya Yantrasana)

Pronunciation and meaning

Parivrtta Surya Yantrasana: pah-ri-VRIT-tuh SOOR-yuh yun-TRAHS-uh-nuh. Each word has its own stress, with Yantrasana stressed on TRAHS.

Parivrtta means revolved, surya means sun, yantra means instrument and asana means posture, so the name is often given as revolved sundial posture. Seated, you lift one leg over the shoulder and straighten it toward the ceiling while the body turns and leans away, like the arm of a compass.

How to do Compass Pose

1. Warm up the hips and hamstrings first. Sit in a cross-legged seat with the left leg folded in front.
2. Hold your right foot with the left hand and lift the right knee, threading your right arm under the right leg so the back of the knee rests high on the right shoulder.
3. Place the right hand on the floor beside the right hip, fingers pointing out.
4. Turn the chest up and to the left, and begin to straighten the right leg toward the ceiling, still holding the foot with the left hand.
5. Keep lifting the chest and look up under the left arm only if the neck is comfortable. Stay for three to five breaths.
6. Bend the knee, release the foot slowly, lower the leg and repeat on the other side.

Make it easier

• Loop a strap around the lifted foot instead of holding it.
• Keep the lifted knee bent and rest the leg on the upper arm, without straightening it.
• Sit on a folded blanket to help the pelvis tip forward.

Pregnancy and after birth

Pregnancy. Avoid. The deep hip stretch and side bend press on the belly and stretch loosened joints. A gentle seated side bend is a safer choice. Check with your OB or midwife.

After birth. Avoid for now. Joints can stay loose for months after birth. Wait until your doctor or midwife has cleared you and return with gentle hip openers first.

Expecting? Joahnna Lee Yoga has notes on adapting each trimester.

Common mistakes

• Forcing the leg behind the shoulder before the hip is ready, which strains the knee and lower back.
• Collapsing the chest and rounding the back.
• Twisting the neck sharply to look up.

Compass Pose, also called Sundial, is an advanced seated stretch that combines a deep hip and hamstring opening with a side bend and a twist. It appears in strong Vinyasa classes, usually near the end, once the body is warm.

It is a pose to approach slowly, often with a strap. Most of the benefit comes from the earlier stages, which are still a big stretch.

How do you build toward compass pose?

Open the outer hips with Cow Face Pose and Happy Baby Pose, and practise sitting easily in a cross-legged seat or Lotus Pose. The hamstring stretches routine helps the lifted leg straighten.

What should compass pose feel like?

A strong stretch along the back of the lifted leg and the side of the body, with the chest open. A sharp feeling in the knee or lower back means stop, bend the knee, and use the strap.